Container car



Jam-22, 1929.

F. H. GIBBS ET AL CONTAINER cm Filed Aug. 23, 1927 m/t/yrofis J Federml'fi fi'lfih, and

do? Mllou h Zr,

Jan. 22, 1929. 1,699,528

' F. H. GIBBS ET AL I CONTAINER CAR Filed Aug. 2:5, 192'! 2 Sheets-Shem 2 Patented Jan. 22, 1929.

UNITED STATES EREDERIOK H. GIBBS, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND VICTOR WILLOUGIIBY, or v PATENT-OFFICE.

R DGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, AssIGNoRs 'ro AMERICAN cAR AND FOUNDRY com- ANY, on NEW ORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

CONTAINER CAR.

Application filed August 23, 1927. Serial NO. 214,839.

Reference is. made to the accompan ing drawings which illustrate the preferred orm of the invention; though it is' to be understood -that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a broken fragmentary top plan view of a car showing thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2,;Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is av fragmentary detail view taken in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2;

Fig.4 is a top plan view of the casting forming a partof the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view ofthe running board attaching plate;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the splicing -means forming a part of the present inven tion, and

Fig. 7 is a front view of the casting shown in Fig.' 4; the View being taken in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 4.

-This invention refers broadly to carriers and more particularly to cars for receiving and transporting containers holding less than carload lots. I

An object of this invention is the production of a car adapted to transport less than carload lot containers which, when loaded with such containers, shall comply with the Interstate Commerce Commissions safet. requirements. L. C. L. containers, as sucli less than carload lot containers are commonly called, have been generally exploited and in Letters Patent of Italy to Michele of 1879 are shown containers loaded in agondola car, though no safety appliances'such as are required in the United States are employed. To make cars loaded with such containers safe in operation is one of the objects of the present invention and to guide to and re tain in position in a gondola car containers with enddoors such as are di'sclosedin said Michele patent is another object of this inventiori; though'it is obviousthat the doors maybe positioned anywhere.

Gondola cars, since metal has been so commonly employed in their construction, have been constructed with side walls adapted to carry a substantial part of the load and such the form of bulb angles which extend a substantial distance outwardly fromthe vertical side walls of the car," and above such angles are mounted the runningboards in such normal service position as to; be inter sected by a linev drawn vertically through either side wall. As the top chord angle is usually of considerable width across its upper face, it is obvious that a narrow running board positioned directly above this chord will project only a slight distance into the lading space of the car, and such top chord may be utilized as a running board support which will comply with I. C. C. requirements which call for running boards, of wood.

. It is obvious that running boardsupport- Ing brackets may-be connected directly to the inner faces of the side walls or to the outer faces thereof and project upwardly sufliciently far to serve their expected function, but in the. former case they would occupy part of the lading zone of the car and in the latterc'ase they might extend beyond predetermined clearancesand be knocked oil in service. A compromise design is illustrated herewith in which the running board supports are primarily the top chords of the car side wall, and to these are secured lading guides with which are combined running board supports ina series of single integral preferably steel castings suitably connected to the upper surface of the compression -member*of the plate girder side wall of the car in such manner as not to weaken the original structure, that is with the holes in the horizontal flanges of such member filled with the rivets securing suchguides and supports in position.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a means for guiding the containers into proper position, in the car,which means will also serve to restrain the containers against shifting or accidental displacement while in the car.

A further object of the invention is to .provide a contain r for use with a railway car, more particularly of the type adaptedto receive a plurality of containers and generally known as container is provided with necessary safety devices such as hand rails and thelike.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-unit freight car having means for guiding the individual containers into the car and for restraining such containers against displacement therein; the car also beingv provided with running boards and hand rails whereby to provide necessary and desirable safety appliances.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which a car is shown which is of the gondola type having a floor or platform 2, side walls 4 and end walls 6.

The car is adapted to receive a plurality of containers 10 preferably arranged side by side as shown in Fig. 1, the containers comprising top and bottom portions 12 and 14 respectively and side and end sections 16 and 18 respectively. The top portion of each container is provided with a hand rail 20 extending adjacent the end of the container and mounted in brackets 22 secured to the top 12 and end 16 by rivets 24 or the like. It will be apparent that when a car is loaded with these removable containers, a hand rail is rovided which is substantially continuous rom end to end of the/car.

The containers are provided with opposed pairs of loops 17 secured within keepers 19 wherebythe containers may be lifted from or placed into the car by suitable tackle.

The containers each comprise a frame having corner posts 26 which are preferably angles which are riveted or otherwise secured to the sides and ends as \shown at. 28, thus forming a rugged structure and the containers are supported on legs 30 secured to the sides and ends as indicated at 32.

The containers are, of course provided with suitable doors which may be arranged on the side or end walls of the container as desired, but inasmuch as the specific structure thereof forms no part of the present invention,the same are not shown.

We have found it desirable not to completely fill the gondola with containers but adjacent each end of the car to secure to the opposite top 'chords 34iof the side walls of the car, and extending across the lading space, spaced Z-bars 36 and to these Z-bars we secure suitable planking thus providing end platforms 38, For safety purposes the platforms are provided with hand rails 40' supported by posts 42 secured to the platforms by sockets 44 or the like. By providing the rails 40 at each end of the car laden with containers, it is apparent that there is provided a hand rail which is substantially continuous completely around the the container car, which containers, thus affording adequate handholds so necessary for the safety of trainmen.

This invention contemplates the provision of guiding and retaining abutments for guiding the containers to seated position within the car and for retaining such con-' tainers in their-seated position, thus. eliminating excessive shifting or displacement. The particular means for this purpose comprises opposed pairs of castings each designated generally as A secured to the side walls of the car and extending into the lading zone. We have found it satisfactory to secure these castings to the top chord of the side walls as clearly shown in Fig. 2, but this too is byway of example as we do not limit ourselves to the specific positioning of these castings for the reason that the inventive concept of this invention might be carried out in various ways.

The casting is particularly shown in plan in Fig. 4 and referring to this figure, the casting comprises .a relatively fiat attaching portion 46 having a depending flange 48 to engage around the outer portion 50 of the top chord 34. Rivets 52 or the like serve to secure the casting to the top chord as shown in this Fig. 4. For reinforcing purposes a gusset 53 is secured to the side wall 4 an the chord 34, or if desired,-a rcinforcing hannel may be secured to the side wall 4 and the chord 34 and extend substantially the full length of the wall 4. The attaching portion46 is provided with side ribs 54 which are connected by a rib 56, (see Fig. 4) and intermediate the ribs there is provided a rib 58 which extends substantially to the flange 4'8.

A plate 60 having ears 62 is hingedly connected as at 64 to the end'of rib 58, or to a point adjacent the end of said rib; the plate 60 having secured thereto a running board 66 by means of bolts 68 or the like. As shown cleariy in .Fig. 2, when the running board is in normal position the ribs 54 and I 56 and 58 support the running board in such a manner that the latter extends into the lading space of--the car and also projects rearwardly or outside of said lading space;

is swung on its hinge, the rib 58 is pro-,'

vided with a cut-out portion at its end forming a'seat 70 with which the rear end of the plate 60 contacts.

The casting A includes an extension 72 which projects into the lading portion or zone of the car and which is reduced at its end forming op osed angular guide portions 74 provided with marginal flanges 76 extending to the front edge of said extension. The end castings n are further pro vided with a threaded opening 78 adjacent their ends fora purpose presently to be described.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it can be seen that the castings are arranged in opposed pairs and the extensions 72 thus provide two way guides for the containers 10. .As beforementioned a hand rail 40 is provided at each end of the car and adjacent the upper edge of each end container. The hand rail 40 has the ends thereofbent as shown at 80 and secured within a coupling 82 attached to the upper end of a post 84 the lower end of Which is threaded into the opening 7 8 formed in the end of the extension 72 of the casting A adjacent the end of platform 38.

The drawings show the running boards 66 as continuous but this is merely by way of example, as obviously it may be necessary to provide two or more sections of planking arranged end to end in forming the running 'board. In the event of such a construction,

it becomes necessary to connect the adjacent sections in a manner that will eliminate or prevent any sagging of the sections and also so connect the sections that the meeting ends thereof will be alined. To effect such a connection, we have devised the novel form of splice shown in detail in Fig. 6.

Referring now to Fig. 6, the usual and heretofore described casting A is shown as slightly modified, being designated as A 86 and 88 designate adjacent running board sections, the ends of which are arranged in substantially abutting relation. It is necessary that these ends be alined for the reason that if one end is slightly above the other a trainman might readily trip on the raised end and be thrown and injured. To accomplish a proper connection we provide the casting. A with flanges or ribs 94 which are connected by a front rib 96. Secured to the under side of each running board section 86 and 88 is a U-shaped connector 98 the arms of which are arranged on either side of the ribs 94 and said connectors are each connected or attached to these ribs 94 by means of a bolt 100 or the like. This construction, it is obvious, effectually splices the two ends of the running board sections 86 'and 88, virtually tying them to the casting A Intermediate the ribs 94 there is' provided a rib 102 which is preferably cast integral with the plate 90. The rib 102 is substantially' T-shaped in cross section and is of greater height than the ribs 94 and more particularly is of such height that the head 104 of the rib 102 will engage the running board sections 86 and 88 across the meeting ends thereof and prevent sagging of such ends. In the construction shown in the drawings,

it will be noted that the meetingends of the i running board sections 86 and 88 are not directly connected to the head104 of'the rib I 102. In the use of the present invention, in

accordance with general L. C. L. practice, the contalners 1 are loaded and then conveyed to a depot and are then placed in the.

car. The containers are lifted by suitable tackle and then deposited into the gondola car shown'in the drawings. As the containers are deposited the corner portions thereof will be engaged by the angular guides of the castings A and the containers thus properly positioned within. the car; it being understood that the running board 66 has previously been swung on its hinges to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. WVhen all of the containers have been positioned in the car, the running boards are then swung to their normal position, shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and it will be apparent that the guide portions of the castings are positioned between adjacent containers as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

Particular attention is called to theposition of these castings and their guiding extensions. The castings are arranged a material distance above the floor of the car and intermediate the top and bottom of the containers, and it has been found that by so positioning such castings and their guiding portions or extensions, that they engage the containers in such a manner that shifting of the latter within the car is reduced to a minimum, thus eliminating the necessity of pro-. viding independent securing means for the containers adjacent their bottoms such as is now the practice.

We have provided a multi-unit freight car which is simple and easy to manufacture and one in which accidental displacement or shifting of the containers is eliminated or reduced to a minimum; and still further the car of the present invention is provided with adequate safety devices for trainrnen and complies with the requirements of the law with re'gard to such type of cars.

WVha t we claim is:

1. In a car construction, a plate girder wall comprising a compression member, a running board vertically above said member and means carried by said wall for supporting said running board.

2. In combination, a car having plate girder side walls, and container guiding and retaining means secured to the top chord of said side walls.

3. In combination, a car having plate irder side walls, and container guiding and retaining means secured to the top chord of said side walls and extending into the normal lading space of said car.

4. In combination, a car having side and end walls, containers adapted to .be 'posi;

tioned in said car and of greater height than said walls, and fixed abutments extending above and between said walls for guiding the containers into the car and for retaining them against displacement,v

5. The combination with a car having side and end walls extending ,a material distance above its floor, containers adapted to be positioned between said walls, and abutments overlapping the walls of the car and adapted to engage the containers for guiding the latter as they are positioned in the car and for restraining the containers against shifting within the car.

6. In combination, a car having side and end walls, guiding elements for containers secured to said walls, and a running board connected to said guiding elements.

7 In combination, a car having side and end walls, a plurality of running boards,

containers adapted to be positioned in said car, rigid guiding abutments and running board supports secured to the upper portion of said side walls for guiding the containers as they are positioned in the car, said abutments extending into the lading zone of the car between adjacent containers to maintain the latter against shifting in the car.

8. In combination, a car having side and end walls, containers adapted to be positioned in said car, guiding elements for said containers secured to the upper edge of said walls, and a running board normally extending into the lading zone of the car.

9. In a car having side'and end walls, a series of castings secured to the upper portions of said side walls and arranged in pairs, a plurality of containers adapted to be positioned in the car, said castings being so formed as to guide the containers to position in the car and positioned at such height above the floor of the car as to retain said containers against shifting.

10. In a car, side and end walls, opposed pairs of guides secured to the top chord of the side walls, each guide having a portion thereof adapted to rest adjacent two sides of a container to guide it into the car and to retain said container against shifting, and a hinged running board secured to the guides and normally extending into the lading zone of the car.

11. In a railway car having side and end walls, two-way guides secured to the upper portion of the sidewalls to receive corner portions of two adjacent containers whereby to guide the latter into the car and to retain said containers against displacement, and running boards secured to said guides.

12. In a railway car having side walls, guides extending above the top of said walls for guiding containers into said car and retaining said containers against displacement, and a running board hingedly connected to said guides and normally extending into the lading zone of the car.

13. In a railway car having side and end walls a plurality of removable containers' between said walls, means secured to the walls and engaging the containers interwallsand normally extending into the lading zone of the car.

15. In a gondola car, sidewalls, a running board support secured to said side walls and projecting outwardly beyond the lading zone of the car.

16. Ina gondola car, a running board support adapted to serve as a lading guide.

17. A container for a multi-unit car, said container having secured thereto a hand rail extending longitudinally of the car.

18. A container for a multi-unit car having a hand rail secured thereto and so arranged that when the container is in position on the car, said hand rail extends parallel to the sides of the car.

19. A container of the kind described hav-' ing a hand rail secured thereto adjacent an edge thereof and so arranged that when the container is positioned on a car the hand rail extends parallel to the sides of the latter.

20. In a multi-unit car, a plurality of containers each having a hand rail section secured thereto, said hand rail sections being 'so arranged that when the containers are positioned in the car a substantially continuous hand rail is provided.

21. In a multi-unit car, a plurality of containers each having a hand rail section 'secured adjacent one edge thereof and so arranged that a substantially continuous hand rail is provided parallel to the sides of the car and hand rails adjacent the ends of g the end containers.

22. In a multi-unit car, a plurality of containers each having a hand rail section secured adjacent one edge thereof and so arranged that a substantially continuous hand rail is provided parallel to the sides of the car, and hand rails adjacent the ends of the end containers, said last named hand railsbeing arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane as the hand rail sections whereby a substantially continuous hand rail is provided completely around the containers.

23. In a car: having a side wall, a running board hingedly supported by said wall andarranged to intersect the vertical plane through the side wall and to rock on its hinges to a substantially vertical position.

24:. In a container car having side walls,

said side walls, and a running board hingedly a compression member at the upper edge of supported vertically above the compression rock to a Vertical position.

25. A car,-'a plurality of containers thereing and running boardss'ecured to the side walls of the car. and-extending into the lading zone of said car adjacent the containers and end platforms in substantially the same planeas said running boards.

26. In a container car having. plate girder side walls including top chords, running boards secured to each top chord, saidrun- .ningboard extending across thevertical plane of the side walls and projecting into the lading zone of the car at each side thereof, end platforms and hand rails carried by sald end platforms.

27. A car having side walls, running "boards secured to the side walls, said running boards projecting beyond the lading I zone and extending into the lading zone and binge connections between the running boards and said side walls.

28. In a railway car, a lading guide, and a running board secured thereto.

29. In a-railway car, a lading guide, and

'a running board hingedl secured thereto.

30. In a multi-unit frelght car, a plurality of removable containers each having a hand rail secured thereto in such a manner that when said containers are arranged in said car the hand rails are alined, and a running boardsecured to the car and extending lengthwise of. the containers.

31. In a gondola car, side-walls,a running member extending into the lading zone of the board support secured to the side walls and car when in normal service position and to extending into the lading zone ofthe car and projecting outwardly beyond said zone, and a running boardv secured to said support and normally extending into the lading zone of 33. Ina gondolacar, a rnnning board secured thereto -and extending into the lading zone of the car and projecting beyond said lading zone.

34. In a railway car having. .side walls providedwith outwardly extending flanges,

opposed lading guides secured-to the flanges,

and running boards hingedly secured to the guides and arranged across the flanges whereby'said boards normally extend into the lading zone of the 'car.

35. In a railway car havingside walls provided with outwardly extending flanges, opposed'lading guides arranged in pairs secured to said flanges and projecting into the lading zone of the ear, and runmngboards I secured to. the guides and extend g' into the lading zone of the car. 1

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

FREDERICK H. GiBBs.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY. 

